Am looking for stories that feature projects by engineers.
I find a lot of stories that feature engineers. In most I've read it's just the occupation of one or more characters, but not much more. I seek details of how engineers practice their craft, what they did to solve an engineering problem.
Thanks in advance.
Service Society by Lazlo Zalezac. The hero is an engineer.
Drama
Dexter James is fed up with his job. For ten years he has put in long hours, worked for jerks, and received no rewards for a job well done. Then one day he says no to a temporary promotion. The fallout of that one little action will change the world.
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Posted: 4/23/2011, 2:23:06 PM Concluded: 7/30/2011, 7:57:10 AM / (Review) 1052 KB 433447 270 8.49
Service Society by Lazlo Zalezac. The hero is an engineer.
Engineer in name only. He's middle management.
The 'Smart Girls' universe has a lot more detail about projects. There were a few stories with limey engineers that went into detail some, but I can't remember the writer(s). And I think coaster2 did a few stories with engineers that might've gone into detail.
Also, the story Six Month Turnaround dealt with a business producing parts... some engineering was done.
And there was the one story in Morgan's Kathy universe where the female lead was a PhD in engineering, and had multiple projects. Don't recall a lot of detail.
Best bet, time travel stories (distant past, MC decides to build hydro damns etc) or postapoc stories (reclaiming tech) are gonna maybe have more details.
The DoOver from CharlieFoxtrot would also qualify.
Six Month Turnaround's MC was the head honcho of the company that he was tasked with turning around. I don't remember much direct engineering, certainly not an engineering project that was mentioned in the OP.
And Dexter in Service Society being middle management? He was two levels below middle manager. His boss' boss was one. Dexter was handed the responsibilities of a first level supervisor without enjoying the perks of it. That was part of what set him off and got the story rolling. True, though, that he wasn't doing much project engineering himself.
But thanks for bringing that one up. Time for a reread. Service Society along with Reset Manifesto are both so real as to be scary. R.I.P. Lazlo. Your genius is missed.
And Dexter in Service Society being middle management? He was two levels below middle manager.
Reasons he was pissed at the company: he hadn't been doing any engineering for some time, they claimed he wasn't management even though he worked solely as management, they wouldn't promote anyone to above his level due to wanting to bring in upper management from outside, etc.
There was a little rearranging lines, but the one employee did develop the improved parts for the Japanese client beyond what was asked for.
And yeah, Reset Manifesto was released maybe a couple years early. Very on topic now.
Dexter in a couple of chapters engineers coffee makers so they last 20 years instead of breaking in a year or so. Its a minor theme but it brings out his engineering instincts. Good story, I am re-reading it now. He is one of the best authors to read/re-read. Knowing how they end doesn't reduce the enjoyment of reading them.
Dexter in a couple of chapters engineers coffee makers so they last 20 years
Not quite. He takes apart a bunch of coffeemakers and determines why they're basically disposable crap. Then he hires people who've actually worked as engineers rather than managers, and gets them to engineer 'lifetime' coffeemakers. But yeah, he enjoyed the project because it allowed him to return to his engineering roots.
Yea. Forgot about that one. Was thinking more along the lines of his original job.
Thinking more on it, I'm not sure what PB was looking for with his question. Someone managing a project like Dexter in Service Society isn't doing engineering exactly; he/she is managing a project. So, Bob, if you're still here, does this qualify?
https://storiesonline.net/s/54872/the-river-rat
Ian
And the ones that came up when you asked much the same question in 2019
'More Than a tretch' by bytemangler. Way back at the start of the computer age (circa early 60s) Part of the story is some development work to help track things before and during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
https://storiesonline.net/s/50282/more-than-a-stretch
Another story from the same time period is 'Bits, Bytes and Life' by Asa Strong. It's on Gina's BTFH site.
It's been my experience (recognizing I'm not really a great storyteller, either) that non-engineers don't often enjoy engineering stories.
enjoy engineering stories
Depends on the plot, the characters and how fiddley the engineering is.
Depends on the plot, the characters and how fiddley the engineering is.
Agreed. If it's engineering-lite, like oyster50, it can have a very broad appeal. If it descends to the detail of some of the gun-porn stories on SOL, most readers will spend much of their time paging down.
AJ
Macdonald Enterprises by RDM starts with the young lad as a Millwright and builds an Engineering firm.
https://storiesonline.net/s/46896/mcdonald-enterprises
Try A Critical Path by Kaffir, This is another romance plus a bit. It is set in the Liverpool area of England against a civil engineering background. To say more would spoil the plot.
Love And Hate by Lazlong. Ed Delany had no idea how interesting things were going to become when he took over as VP of Engineering. He was challenged professionally and personally as he made a place for himself. This is the story of how he responded to those challenges. Unfortunately unfinished.
Both of following by Anthony Concept: Walkabout Fiction "Where's Jackie, Jimbo?" "Him gone walkabout boss." Walkabout. An Australian Aboriginal term. Our protagonist Tony sets out on an odyssey and meets a few surprises and a change of direction along the way. and The River Rat Romantic A small engineering workshop is given the contract to refurbish a massive gearbox. See how the workshop expands and its employees develop with it. The title 'River Rat' doesn't become obvious until midway through the story.
